“It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem, it’s me.” Ever leap at the mention of any Taylor Swift song lyrics? Turns out, it may be a useful skill to have after all.
All you have to do is be a lover of her music.
London’s venerable Victoria & Albert Museum, which is over 170 years old and receives close to 3 million visitors a year, is looking for a Swiftie “superfan” to bring on board.
The listing opened in late February and was set to close on Thursday, although the posting says the vacancy has already closed. The advisor will work with V&A’s curators who oversee well over 2.8 million exhibits and museum pieces.
“We’re always looking to learn more about our collection, whilst acting as cultural trendspotters on what to collect next,” the job description read. “So, we want to hear from you about your hyper-niche interest and why it is important to the history of art and design, and the future of creativity.”
Successful applicants will be paid an hourly rate, the BBC reported. They’ll also receive other incentives such as a V&A membership.
The museum’s director, Tristram Hunt, told various outlets that the role was meant to “celebrate and discover more about the enormous, and often surprising, creative diversity on offer at the V&A, as well as helping us to learn more about the design stories that are relevant to our audiences today.”
The museum is also calling for fans and connoisseurs of other quirky pop-culture elements—including Crocs and emoji.
V&A has hosted pop-culture-centric exhibitions in the past, including a recent one covering Korean music and drama. It also previously sought out experts on Lego and Pokémon. But this is the first of its kind for Swift, who’s won 14 Grammys and released about 243 songs to date.
Representatives at V&A didn’t return Coins2Day’s requests for comment on what prompted the job posting or the number of applicants it received.
Influential artist
It’s no secret that Swift is among the most influential artists in recent history. Her Eras Tour propped her up to billionaire status and has proved an economic force to be reckoned with, driving consumer spending up by an estimated $4.6 billion.
Her presence at the Super Bowl to support her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, drew the eyeballs of advertisers and brands looking to reach Swifties. It also earned the NFL about $9.6 million in free publicity, U.S. News reported, citing AdVenture Media’s data.
Tours by other artists have shook up local economies, too—for instance, Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour is credited with boosting Sweden’s inflation as scores of visitors came to Stockholm to see the R&B artist.
Swift is bringing her tour to the U.K. In June and August—and it’s estimated that it could send waves through the economy and promote greater spending.
For a pop star like Swift whose fame stretches far and wide, it’s only reasonable to dig deeper into her influence. So much so, that even Harvard University launched a course on Swift to study her songs, their lyrics, and her artistic style.
